Graphite Nanoplatelets Composite Materials: Role of the Epoxy-System in the Thermal Conductivity

Lurayni Diaz-Chacon^1,2, Renaud Metz^2*, Philippe Dieudonné², Jean Louis Bantignies², Said Tahir², Mehrdad Hassanzadeh³, Eleida Sosa¹, Reinaldo Atencio¹

¹Laboratorio de Materiales para Tecnologías Emergentes, Centro de Investigación en Tecnología de los Materiales, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Maracaibo, Venezuela.
²Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C), UMR 5221 CNRS-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, Université Lyon 1, Lyon, France.
³Materials and Solid Insulation Architect-Energy BU/Medium Voltage Switchgear, Schneider Electric, Grenoble, France.

DOI: 10.4236/msce.2015.35009                

Abstract

Polymers typically have intrinsic thermal conductivity much lower than other materials. Enhancement of this property may be obtained by the addition of conductive fillers. In this research, epoxy nanocomposites with exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets are prepared and characterized. The chosen approach requires no surface treatment and no sophisticated equipments allowing one to produce composites on a pilot scale. A significant increase of the thermal conductivity with the increasing of the graphite fillers content is nevertheless observed on 4 mm thick specimens. Our results viewed in the latest scientific findings suggest that the choice of resin is an important parameter to move towards composite materials with high thermal conductivity.

Keywords

Composite Epoxy-GnP, Thermal Conductivity, Graphite Nanoplatelets, Exfoliated Graphite

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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